Ali Stroker to Host Annual Celebration of Disability Representation in Media for Media Access Awards 2025 with Easterseals

The Media Access Awards with Easterseals, an EMMY-winning television show, today announced the host, honorees, presenter and performer lineup for the 2025 broadcast. Hosted by Tony Award-winning actor and disability activist Ali Stroker, the annual ceremony will tape on Wednesday, October 8, honoring artists, storytellers and projects that champion disability inclusion in front of and behind the camera. 

This year’s show continues the tradition of being the only fully accessible awards ceremony in history, set to feature inspiring moments from stars including Marlee Matlin, Marissa Bode, Anita Hollander, Nyle DiMarco, Jay and Pamela Manuel, Paul Schnee, Kerry Barden and more.

The 2025 Media Access Awards with Easterseals will premiere on Wednesday, November 5 at 8 p.m. on PBS SoCal Plus (formerly KCET) and Friday, November 7 at 8 p.m. on PBS SoCal, followed by additional PBS stations nationwide starting Saturday, November 15 (check local listings). The show will be available to stream on the PBS App concurrently with the premiere.

Honorees are selected by the diversity committees of their professional guilds, with awards presented by the Casting Society (CSA), the Writers Guild of America (WGA) and SAG-AFTRA. The 2025 honorees include:

• Marlee Matlin (“CODA,” “Children of a Lesser God”) – Icon Award, presented for the first time in the long-standing history of the Media Access Awards to honor an individual whose artistry and advocacy have reached a singular, culture-shifting stature.
• Liz Meriwether, Kim Rosenstock, Sasha Stewart and Keisha Zollar – WGA West Evan Somers Memorial Award, for achievement in writing accurate, three-dimensional disabled characters and storylines.
• Jay Manuel and Pamela Manuel (“Jay & Pamela”) – Easterseals Impact Award, honoring individuals advancing disability acceptance and inclusion in entertainment, philanthropy or public discourse.
• Paul Schnee (“Out of My Mind,” “The Girl on the Train”) and Kerry Barden (“Ezra,” “The Help”) – Casting Society Award, recognizing casting agents who seek out and champion disabled performers for both disability-specific and general roles.
• Marissa Bode (“Wicked”) – Christopher Reeve Acting Award, a cash award created by Christopher Reeve, celebrating a young, up-and-coming disabled actor in support of their career in film or television.
• Anita Hollander (actor and activist, former National Chair, SAG-AFTRA Performers with Disabilities) – SAG-AFTRA Harold Russell Award - presented in honor of the first disabled actor to receive an Academy Award, recognizing their profound commitment to advancing authentic disability representation in film.
• Nyle DiMarco (“Deaf President Now!,” “America’s Next Top Model”) and Davis Guggenheim (“Deaf President Now!”, “STILL: a Michael J. Fox Movie”) – Best Documentary Award, awarded to a nonfiction film that exemplifies excellence in storytelling, impact, and craft.

Presenters set to take the stage throughout the evening include Henry Winkler (“Happy Days”), Esco Jouléy (“Dying for Sex”), Nic Novicki ("Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse"), Cesily Collette Taylor (“Wicked”), John Maucere (“What?,” “Law and Order”), Sean Astin (“The Lord of the Rings,” “The Goonies”) and Amber Sealey (“Out of My Mind”), with special messages from Lily D. Moore (“Never Have I Ever, ” “The Other”) and Jenny Slater (“Dying for Sex”).

The evening will also feature special performances by b-boy Luca “Lazylegs” Patuelli, Paris Paralympics Performer and America’s Got Talent finalist Brian King Joseph, and Rick Allen (Def Leppard) & Lauren Monroe, along with surprise appearances throughout the show.

Founded by the late Norman Lear in 1979, the Media Access Awards pioneered the celebration of on-screen representation for the disability community–the world’s largest minority group–and has since grown into an Emmy-winning PBS broadcast reaching millions.

“It’s an incredible honor to bring the screen community together to celebrate the groundbreaking achievements of disability representation,” said Deborah Calla, executive producer and co-CEO of the Media Access Awards. “This year’s honorees reflect the breadth of creatives who are advancing cultural discourse and inclusion on both sides of the camera.” said Allen Rucker, writer and co-CEO of the Media Access Awards.”

“We're incredibly proud to partner with the Media Access Awards in bringing this powerful television experience into homes across America,” added Mark Whitley, CEO of Easterseals Southern California.

The 2025 Media Access Awards with Easterseals ceremony is underwritten by, Kevin & Claudia Bright, Paramount, NBCUniversal, The Murray Reese Foundation, The Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation, and ABC Disney. Media Access Awards with Easterseals partners include WGA West, Casting Society and SAG-AFTRA. For more information on this year’s sponsors, click here.

The 2025 Media Access Awards with Easterseals is produced by Calla Productions and co-produced by PBS SoCal, with executive producer Deborah Calla and show writer Allen Rucker.

To request media credentials to cover the red carpet of the taping on Wednesday, October 8, please submit an application. The deadline to submit an application is Friday, October 3, 2025.

For more information about the Media Access Awards, please visit mediaaccessawards.com or follow the conversation on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

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About the Media Access Awards
As the largest minority group on the planet—and as the only minority group that anyone can join at any point of his or her life—the disability community is a robust, diverse, and integral part of our global fabric. The Media Access Awards celebrate this fact by honoring, highlighting, and promoting disability and its depictions in film, television, and new media. 

The Media Access Awards aim to recognize depictions of disability that are accurate, inclusive, and multi-faceted. Our awards ceremony honors those industry professionals who have advanced disability-related narrative in fields including writing, producing, casting, performance, and directing. We are proud and pleased to be at the forefront of creating and promoting opportunities for some of the brightest talents in the industry. www.mediaaccessawards.com

About PBS SoCal
PBS SoCal uses the power of public media for good, strengthening the civic fabric of Southern California and providing our community with an essential connection to a wider world. As a local, donor/member-supported non-profit organization, PBS SoCal is available to stream on the PBS app and the PBS Kids App and reaches nearly 19M viewers across 7 Broadcast channels — including 2 primary channels, PBS SoCal and PBS SoCal Plus and 5 digital subchannels. Select programming is also available on PBS SoCal’s YouTube channel. 

With a commitment to make content available anytime and anywhere for free, PBS SoCal offers programming that reflects the diversity of Southern California and showcases the full schedule of beloved and trusted PBS content spanning Education, News, Environment and Arts & Culture. PBS SoCal also sparks the sharing of ideas at in-person cultural events and community conversations as well as prepares children for kindergarten and beyond by bringing bilingual, hands-on learning experiences to the community for free.

MEDIA CONTACTS
Sunshine Sachs Morgan & Lylis
Gaye Moreau, Fay Shinder, Justine Castillo
mediaaccessawards@ssmandl.com

PBS SoCal
Chelsea Grosbeck
cgrosbeck@pbssocal.org